Tie check



March 8, 11949. c. L. WICKERSHAM ETAL 2,463,565

' TIE CHECK Filed Oct. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l a l 120 'X W INVENTOR$ I ill: wokrgga Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIE CHECK Charles L. Wickersham, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Jacob Alvin Hyle, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 8, 1945, Serial No. 620,952

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to railway tie checks and is an improvement over our co-pending application, Serial Number 541,144, filed June 20, 1944, now matured into Patent No. 2,396,402, dated March 12, 1946.

An object of this invention is to provide a tie check for railway ties which includes a plurality of intersecting flat bars which are adapted to be driven into slots formed in the ends of the tie so that the tie will not spread when it dries.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tie check of this kind which is of simple construction, and can be mounted in the tie easier and quicker than by former methods, and can be produced at real savings in cost.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tie check of this kind which is so constructed as to prevent splitting of the tie irrespective of the position of the heart of the wood with respect to the flat sides of the tie.

To the foregoing objects and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention, as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail elevation of a railway tie having an anti-splitting check mounted therein.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a check removed from the tie.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation of one of the check bars.

Figure 6 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of another one of the check bars.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary end elevation of the tie showing the crossed grooves formed therein to receive the check.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary exploded sectional View of the tie and check.

Referring to the drawings the numeral Ill designates generally a railway tie and the numeral I l designates generally a tie check structure which is mounted in an end of the tie [6. There is a check I I mounted in each end of the tie.

The check H comprises a plurality of parallel bars l2, l3 and M which are of like construction and are formed at the opposite ends thereof with rounded end portions l5. The horizontal bars l2, l3 and [4, which are of like construction, are each formed with a plurality of spaced apart outwardly openings slots IS. The slots I6 are provided in order to receive right angularly disposed vertical check bars l1, l8, l9 and 2D. The bars I! and 20 are outer bars whereas the bars [8 and I!) are intermediate bars. The vertical bars H to 26, shown in side elevation in Figure 6, are each provided with upper and lower slots 21 and 22 within which the upper and lower bars 12 and I4 respectively are adapted to engage and the bar I! is also provided with an intermediate slot 23 within which the intermediate bar I3 is adapted to engage. The slots [6, 2|, 22 and 23 are of such width that when the respective bars are disposed in assembled position the bars will be tightly held within the respective slots l6, 2|, 22 and 23. In other words these slots are of slightly less width than the thickness of the respective check bars so that the assembled check I l is formed by pressing the bars into each other with the slots initially in registry so that the straight outer edges of the horizontal and vertical bars will be substantially flush with each other, as shown in Figure 4.

The upper and lower ends of the vertical bars ll, I8, l9 and 20 are also rounded, as at 2 4. The end of the tie I0 is formed with horizontally disposed slots 25 which are spaced apart a distance to equal the spacing of the horizontal bars [3 and I4 and the tie in is also formed with a vertically disposed slot 26 intersecting the slots 25.

The bars I! to 20 are engageable in the slots 26. As shown in Figure 7 the respective slots 25 and 26 are slightly smaller in width than the thickness of the horizontal and vertical bars so that it is necessary to forcibly press the check I I into the slots 25 and 26. In this manner the tie check II will be frictionally held in the end of the tie.

The slots 25, and 26 are rounded at the opposite ends thereof, as at 21, and the vertical slots 26 are rounded at the opposite ends thereof, as indicated at 28.

In practice the slots 25 and 26 are made by a relatively small diameter saw, there being as many saws fixed to a shaft as there are slots to be cut so that these slots may be cut in a single operation. The saws are moved a distance equal to the length of the bars forming the check and are then withdrawn leaving the curved ends 21 and 28 within which the curved ends l5 and 24 of the check bars are adapted to snugly engage. In this manner there will not be any open slots 3 inwardly from the end of the tie within which water or the like may engage and subsequently loosen the check in the end of the tie.

We claim:

In combination a rail tie formed with a p1ura1- ity of right angularly disposed intersecting slots at one end thereof, said slots being outwardly curved at their outer ends, and a tie check adapted to be seated in said slotsjsaid tie check formed with a plurality of right angularly related flat bars fixedly secured together and adapted to register with and be engaged in said slots, the ends of said bars being curved complementary-to the curvature of said slots, and each of saidbars having slots extending from one edge thereof whereby intersecting bars may be engaged with the lengthwise edges flush withdeach other.

CHARLES L. WICKERSHAM. JACOB ALVIN HYLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 597,519 De Souchet Jan. 18, 1898 793,431 Fleischer June 27, 1905 1,655,662 Repay Jan. 10, 1928 lo 1,737,908 Beegle Dec. 3, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 128,933 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1928 

